I am a new author, but this blog is about life in general.

The Ward Family Reunion

We all have families. Some are large and some are small, some are very close and some are far apart. This past weekend I had the opportunity to meet a good portion of my wife’s family. My mother-in-law decided to have a family reunion at her house and despite the weather it turned out to be an absolutely wonderful day.

About 180 people were invited and 125 or so said they would show up, and it sure felt like most of them did. My wife’s grandfather is 90+ year’s old and so it was a great way for cousins to see cousins and for her grandfather to see a lot of family he hasn’t seen in awhile.

The party was supposed to start at 2pm, so of course at about 1230 its started to rain. By 130 it was a torrential downpour – thank goodness they had tents. And at almost exactly 2pm the rain stopped. The clouds stayed for the rest of the day, but that was ok because it kept the heat of the summer sun away.

There were hoagies, beer, soda, cake, pretzels, and lots of other snacks. But mostly, there were people. And not just people – but family. Grandad was the oldest, at 90 plus and there was also the youngest Ward who was less than one year old. It was great to see both of them together. And since Grandad’s name is Hugh we also got all six relatives – including a great-grandchild – who had Hugh in their name.

Young and old, familiar and not so familiar there were families, cousins, aunts, and uncles. And even an honorary family member – a true Sister. Most of the family was amazingly from South Jersey, or maybe not so amazingly. But, there was also family from Minneapolis, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Florida. There were tables and chairs under the tents, but mostly everyone milled around talking. Moving from one group to the next rekindling friendships or just getting to know family yet again.

For someone who has family in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Israel and who doesn’t get to see his family that much, it was a fantastic day. To see so many family members all come together for the sole purpose of seeing each other. It would make even the Grinch smile. I spent the day taking pictures – both random and planned – and hope that they will be a memory of the smiles and the delight had by all.